I have enjoyed running soundboards at various churches throughout my life. It all started many years ago when I was in the Navy. Being an Electronics Technician, and loving music, the idea of running the soundboard at my church seemed like a great fit for me. It was, and has been for twenty years. Creating an atmosphere of worship through the blending of voice and instrument is a challenge that I love. The first Sunday of every month is my day to run sound. My current church has a great worship team! There is a broad range of age and experience to test my mixing skills.
I have played instruments in the past, but in no way would I consider myself a musician. It started in junior high school with trumpet. Trombone followed in senior high, with a little guitar and piano. Very little. I tried drums for a little while in my twenties, but that was just fun, not proficient.
So it happened two weeks ago. I heard something I didn't like. The guitarist is young, just back from college. An engaging, very likeable guy, and enthusiastic about playing and worshipping. During one of the songs, he became a little too enthusiastic. The verses were softer, but the chorus was loud and uptempo. I had to turn him off during the chorus, something just didn't sound quite right. The next chorus came around, and I listened more intently, specifically to his guitar. What I heard was noise. Not music, noise. I watched him playing. He was into it. Eyes closed, body rocking, strumming for all he was worth. Still, noise.
As stated before, I'm not a musician, but I do know when something doesn't sound right. It was pretty simple. He plays well, a skilled musician. He could hear himself play, with a skeletal selection of the band coming through his earpiece monitor. One ear for the band, one ear for his guitar. He heard himself play, felt himself play, and his music flowed through him. What I heard out of the house speakers was entirely different. A complete blend of all instruments, and all voices, without the benefit of hearing and feeling the actual acoustical instrument. His intense strumming, which sounded like music to him, sounded like harsh hitting of the strings when blended with everyone else. The sound of the strings being hit hard could be heard, but the sound of music was lost. All I heard was noise.
And then God told me how I was the same way. I can be highly enthusiastic at times. No, really! I have had to apologize at times for going a little too far, pushing a little too hard, being a little too excited. There are times when high energy is good, and then there are the other times. Emotions can be a distraction in a team evironment, like work, or relationships. I have to be aware of how I am blending with others around me, and not just how I sound to myself.
Mixing an overly-enthusiastic guitarist with a band didn't sound good. In fact, it sounded bad, and was a distraction to the music, which is why I shut him off during the chorus. While its good for me to be highly enthusiastic about the task at hand, I have to remember that I'm usually not functioning alone. A team works best when each member understands their part in the whole, producing the best outcome for the intended recipients.
My overly-enthusiastic nature needs to keep this in mind, and I thank God that He reminds me of my shortcomings, not to embarass or deride me, but to work in me, and produce the best I can give.
(I did speak with the guitarist after the service, and he was open to hearing my opinion. Plus, I mentioned I would be blogging about this, and he smiled and nodded. I took that as consent.)
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